Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

This post will follow the theme and complement the last post, about homemade marshmallow.Since I end up having a lot of the marshmallow left over after last week when we had my daughter's friends over for hot cocoa. Me and my daughter ,we decided to use the marshmallows to decorate cupcakes and that's how the hot chocolate cupcake idea came up.
One thing that I can always get my daughter involved in the kitchen is if I tell her that I want to bake cupcakes. She's fourteen and like any usual teenager, lots of thing are boring....Well but not cupcakes !!!
For the frosting we decided to make a swiss meringue buttercream because that would resemble more the whipped cream on top of a hot chocolate mug.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

For the cake
Ingredients: 
(it makes about 12 cupcakes)

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• How to make it:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake paper liners.
• 1. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
• 1. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes
• 1. Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frost them.
• 1. 
     

1. cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

     

cupcake batter is ready

into the oven!

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar 
1/16 teaspoon salt 
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to make it :
In a bowl of an electric mixer add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so). *Don't begin adding butter until the bottom of the bowl feels neutral, and not warm.

Switch over to paddle attachment and with  the mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). *If mixture is too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.
Using a pastry bag and a star pastry tip frost the cupcakes with the swiss meringue buttercream. Sprinkle a little bit of cocoa powder and cinnamon mix over the cupcakes and decorate with a star marshmallow, or mini marshmallows and a piece of peppermint candy cane. Ready to serve!
My daughter took them the school to share with some of her friends and they were very popular.
Enjoy
Pri =) 

Whisk constantly at this stage

Whipped until egg whites are thick

Add butter one cube at the time

Here is my cupcake decorator master 

they came out looking great and delicious!

Walnut Fig Cupcake with Goat Cheese Frosting with Balsamic Reduction Dizzle and Fresh Cracked Pepper

Today's post it's a request from a coworker.

On Wednesdays, at the catering company  I work we have meeting to go over the events we will have for the next two weeks and depending on how many events we have those meeting can last up to three hours and in the past month I have been working on my baking skills, even though I worked in a bakery for many,many years I was always in charge of the savory things or the jam( but that's a story for another post). But I enjoy baking at home and usually it's something I can get my daughter involved if involves the word "cupcake"( well! She is a teenager...you probably know what I mean). 

So,lately I have been bringing some treats for Wednesday's meeting, and looks like they were well received specially on days we need to go over many events talking about food, timeline, displays , rentals....and lunch seems so far away. 

I love fig with cheese and a long time ago I pinned a fig cupcake recipe but never tried, never really thought about making a fig cupcake but I did fig jam and conserve many times.
a few weeks ago while I was doing groceries shopping I came across some awesome looking fig, and that fig cupcake recipe came up on head,added 2 pints of figs to my cart. And for coincidence in this same day I found local goat cheese that I really enjoy, the Westfield Capri cheese so I put that on the cart as well, and on my head I started to combine all of those ingredients I would like to have with fig: goat cheese, walnuts, a drizzle of balsamic reduction.... wait but I am doing a cupcake, right? Let's turn this into a cupcake.So, here is my kind of savory fig cupcake

Walnut Fig Cupcake with Goat Cheese Frosting with Balsamic Reduction Dizzle and  Fresh Cracked Pepper

For the Walnut Cupcake (aprox 16 cupcakes)

Ingredients

2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup  walnuts, chopped
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softener
How to make it 
Preheat your oven to 350F,line up your muffin tins with cupcake papers
Using your Mixer, mix the sugar and butter 
Add the milk,egg,vanilla,flour, baking powder and mix again and at the end add the chopped walnuts and mix a little bit more.Pour your batter into  the muffin tins lined with paper and bake it for
15-20 min, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.Once they are done let them cool off on a rack

Fig Filling
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pint of fresh figs, washed and sliced * Save the other 1/2 pint of figs to garnish your cupcakes
1 cup of sugar
1/4 lemon juice
2 teaspoons of Grand Marnier
3-4 tablespoon of water depending on the consistency
How to make it
Add the fig, sugar and lemon juice to the sauce pot,medium heat constantly stirring,until the figs starts to breakdown,use a potato smasher to help to breakdown the figs if your spread gets to thick add a little bit of water at the end add the Grand Marnier and cooked it for 5 minutes more always stirring or will stick to the bottom of your pot.And done! Let you filling cool down(you can even make this a day ahead and store it in you fridge)

Goat Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter,softener
1/3 cup goat cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp of the fig filling
How to make it
Mix the butter and goat cheese until creamy.Add in the powdered sugar until incorporated.Mix in the fig spread.Done and for now just set a side.

Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients:
2 cups of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
How to make it
Mix balsamic vinegar with brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Let cool.

How to assemble 

You already did the hardest part. Have fun assembling and decorating the cupcakes
Once your cupcake, the filling, and the reduction are all cool down you are ready to assemble.
Using a tiny spoon or paring knife make a little hole on top of your cupcakes fill them up with your fig filling.Make sure to add enough filling.Using a pasty bag with a star tip top your cupcake with the goat cheese frosting garnish the cupcakes with a slice of fresh fig, drizzle the balsamic reduction, and sprinkle some fresh cracked black pepper. And Boom!!! You're ready!Now you got delicious cupcakes to share with everyone.
Pri =)

Pink Ribbon Mason Jar Cupcakes

Since today is the first day of October, I would like to remind people it's breast cancer awareness month by sharing this fun recipe on this post and that I recently used for the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser event run by the local girls softball league, where my daughter plays.

Mason Jar Vanilla Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

for the cake recipe to make 36 8oz jars make this recipe 3X  and bake 3 not too high cakes. I used disposable cake pan from work they were bigger than any cake pans I have in my house which allowed me to bake a bigger but thinner cake the size was 17x13 perfect for what I need it!
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zests of a half lemon
For pink effect I added 1/4 teaspoons of pink food coloring

How to make it

Preheat oven to 350° F. Pan spray the bottom and the sides of the pan .In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder,  zests and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't overbeat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes check with a toothpick in the center to see if it's done.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients  ( I made this recipe 2x for the 3 dozen cupcakes)     
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)softened (but not melted!)
4 cups confectioners(powdered)
sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk or heavy  cream          

Instructions
Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, and the rest of the ingredients and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase the speed and mix until you have a smooth consistency

Once the cakes are cooled I cut them up with a small ring filling the  8 oz mason jars with one layer of pink colored cake, frosting, white cake, frosting, pink cake and finishing with frosting and decorating with sprinkles of your choice. Close the jar with the lids tie a ribbon with a spoon attached and a sticker of your choice.

It's a great cute idea to present the cupcakes! Can be used for birthday, baby showers and even on a wedding as a favor.
Enjoy!
             

Receita em Portugues

ingredientes

para a receita do bolo para fazer 36 frascos de 8 fazer esta receita de 3X e assar 3 não muito altos bolos. Eu usei descartável bandeja de bolo do trabalho que eles eram maiores do que qualquer bandejas de bolo que eu tenho na minha casa, o que me permitiu fazer um bolo maior, mas mais fino do tamanho 17x13inches era perfeito para o que eu preciso !

2-1/2 xícaras de farinha de trigo

2 xícaras de açúcar

1 xícara de leite

Óleo vegetal 3/4 xícara

4 ovos

2-1/4 colheres de chá de fermento em pó

1 colher de chá de baunilha

Raspas de meio limão

Para efeito de-rosa que eu adicionei 1/4 colheres de chá de corante rosa

Como fazê-lo

Pré-aqueça o forno a 177° C. Untar o fundo e as laterais da bandeja . Em uma tigela grande , com uma batedeira, bata o açúcar e os ovos juntos até engrossar , cerca de 1 minuto. Adicione a farinha , o leite , o óleo , o fermento em pó , as raspas de limao e a baunilha e bata por mais um minuto , apenas até que a massa esteja lisa e cremosa . Não bata demais . Despeje a massa na bandeje asse em forno pré-aquecido por 20 minutos verifique com um palito no centro para ver se ele é feito.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredientes ( eu fiz essa 2x receita para o 3 dúzias biscoitos )

1 xícara de manteiga sem sal ( 2 varas ) amolecido (mas não derretida !)

4 xícaras de confeiteiro ( em pó )

açúcar

¼ colher de chá de sal de mesa

1 colher de sopa de extrato de baunilha

4 colheres de sopa de leite ou creme de leite

instruções

Bata a manteiga por alguns minutos na batedeira com  em velocidade média . Adicione 4 xícaras de açúcar de confeiteiro , e o resto dos ingredientes e ligue a batedeira na velocidade mais baixa (para o açúcar não voar em todos os lugares ) até que o açúcar fique incorporada com a manteiga . Aumente a velocidade e misture até obter uma consistência lisa

Uma vez que os bolos são resfriados eu cortá-los com um pequeno anel monte o bolo nos  frascos de  com uma camada de bolo cor -de-rosa , frosting, bolo branco, frosting, bolo rosa e acabamento com o frosting e decorar conforme de sua escolha. Feche o frasco com as tampas amarrar uma fita com uma colher e um adesivo anexado à sua escolha.

É uma ótima idéia  para apresentar os cupcakes ! Pode ser usado para emaniversário, chás de bebê e até mesmo em um casamento como um bride.